Sunday, September 16, 2012

Pomeranz just can't get it together, which almost makes me wonder if the Rockies should shut him down now, let him clear his mind and come back with a fresh start next spring. I know getting him the innings to develop and gain experience are important — which is why I hated the paired pitching system from the start — but I think enough might be enough already this season. His confidence is low, and there may not be much more to gain over the last 2 1/2 weeks.

Bullpen's Line: 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 4 K

Carlos Torres, Edgmer Escalona (he never goes away), Will Harris, Josh Outman and Josh Roenicke were marvelous and played a big role in the Rockies almost coming back here. Collectively, they were the Rockies biggest positive for about the 120th time this season.

Turning Point: There's a big difference between 1-0 and 4-0. That's why Jesus Guzman's three-run homer in the 3rd was the turning point.

Highlight of the Night: Two more hits for Chris Nelson, including this RBI double he ripped in Colorado's three-run 7th inning.

What's Next: The series finale and rubber match comes our way on Sunday afternoon at 2:05. And if you like the initials A.W. you're in luck because we'll have Alex White (2-8, 5.18) against Andrew Werner (2-1, 2.59) on the mound.

And now I'm thirsty for root beet.

Final Thoughts: To clarity on the Rockies moving to a 5-man rotation, 90-100 pitch count next season. I'm not saying it won't work or ultimately benefit the team, because it easily could. I definitely see it as a step in right direction and a fair enough compromise, I just want to eliminate the silliness all together and let baseball pitchers pitch.

When you put pitch limits in their minds, they're going to think about them. They're just human. Highly paid humans, yes, but still human. You can't teach or condition them to not be that way or not worry about that stuff. Especially when they're young and trying to make an impression.

So yes, we're moving in a positive direction here. More good things will come of this setup than the initial 4-man, 75-pitch crapola, but I still prefer something normal with so many important parts of our future needing to be developed.

If we had a rotation featuring 4-5 veteran guys like Jeff Francis and Jorge De La Rosa, I wouldn't dislike either system as much. That's not what we have with Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Tyler Chatwood and Christian Friedrich, though, so I just want normal and an opportunity for honest development and evaluation.